Despite trends, some public colleges say they are fighting to keep in-state students home

| 8/22/2019

Despite trends, some public colleges say they are fighting to keep in-state students home

At many public universities, out-of-state enrollment is on the rise. Recruiters are spread across the country, fighting to attract the most geographically diverse population and draw students away from their state schools. But for their adversaries, those public universities where in-state enrollment has remained steady, that battle looks different. Steady in-state enrollment is often the result of state-mandated restrictions. In Florida, for example, out-of-state students cannot exceed 10% of enrollment at state institutions [Source: USA Today]

College costs are rising. Manatee leaders debate the good and the bad of free tuition

A group of local professionals were split on whether college tuition should be free during a Manatee Tiger Bay luncheon Thursday afternoon. Student loan forgiveness and free college have become the hallmark campaign promises for a number of Democrat presidential candidates. A panel made up of college administrators, professors and a business owner discussed the feasibility of the proposal. [Source: Bradenton Herald]

FSU film school ranks as one of the best in nation

The Florida State University College of Motion Picture Arts has jumped six spots to No. 13 in national rankings compiled by one of the entertainment industry’s top publications. Among public universities, FSU ranked No. 4. In its annual list of Top 25 American film schools, The Hollywood Reporter highlighted the FSU film school’s emphasis on experiential learning and its fast-growing group of successful alumni including Academy Award winners Barry Jenkins, Adele Romanski and Jonathan King. [Source: FSU News]

Keeping up with market demand, Florida Poly adds three new engineering degree programs

In an effort to keep up with market demand for talent, Florida Polytechnic University will this year offer three additional engineering degree programs. The three new degree programs include environmental engineering, engineering mathematics and engineering physics. Job demand in environmental engineering fields are expected to grow 15 percent from levels in 2016 to those anticipated in 2026, according to Projections Managing Partnership, a national job forecasting group. [Source: Florida Politics]

Osceola’s NeoCity Academy stresses tech, entrepreneurship

At the new NeoCity Academy campus, students mix music in a production lab, work with textiles and build virtual models using several 3D-enabled computers. The Osceola district’s newest public school pushes students to immerse themselves in science and technology, along with teaching concepts more commonly aimed at entrepreneurs rather than teenagers. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

› Education officials in Florida want schools to teach about child trafficking [WPTV] Florida students in grades K-12 would be taught about child-trafficking prevention, under a rule proposed by state education officials. The intent of the rule is to have “every school in Florida be a ‘child trafficking free zone,’ ” according to the proposed regulation published by the Florida Department of Education Tuesday.

› University of North Florida offering new accelerated master's program [Jax Daily Record] The University of North Florida has a new program that makes it faster – and less costly – to obtain a master’s degree. The UNF+Pathways to Success Program allows qualified students to enroll in graduate studies toward a master’s degree during their junior and senior undergraduate years. The university has lowered the per-credit-hour rate to $275, a 33% reduction.

› Are schools safe enough? No, but it’s not related to new Florida laws, Influencers say [Miami Herald] It’s been more than a year since the Florida Legislature passed laws improving student access to mental health services and requiring armed guards at every school in the state. But last month a statewide grand jury report said some districts have yet to fully comply. In the wake of the mass shootings here and elsewhere across America, have Florida schools done enough to keep students inside safe?

› New rule would put more pressure on pre-K programs to get kids ready for kindergarten [Tampa Bay Times] Ever since the creation of Florida’s Voluntary Prekindergarten program, early education advocates have said the state needs to measure children’s abilities as they enter and as they leave, to determine whether their schools have helped them. After years spent slowly moving in that direction, with changing assessments and added post-testing, the State Board of Education appears poised to take the next step.

At the Charley Johns Conference in Starke, an economist from the Florida Chamber Foundation gave the keynote presentation about Florida's economy and how the college plays a role in it. Staff from the college offered gifts to retiring Santa Fe College President Jackson Sasser and shared their goodbyes.